NCAA Women’s National Championship Preview
The women’s championship is set.
No. 3 LSU vs No. 2 Iowa at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday in Dallas, Tx.
There is no doubt this tournament has been a historic one for the ladies so we can’t wait to see what this championship holds for us.
Between both the men’s and women’s tournaments no No. 1 seeds remain, which makes these games all the more entertaining.
To get to where they are, No. 3 LSU knocked off No. 14 Hawaii, No. 6 Michigan, No. 2 Utah, No. 9 Miami and most recently No. 1 Virginia Tech in the Final Four.
It has been one heck of a ride for the Tigers as they have defeated their opponents in dominant fashion all tournament.
The Lady Tigers hold a 33-2 record on the season only falling to the number one team in the country, South Carolina, and a close one to Tennessee in the SEC tournament.
LSU has never won the National Championship before and in fact, they have never even made it past the Final Four.
Thanks to their head coach, Kim Mulkey, who has refueled their program to lead in the dance of a lifetime.
As for the Hawkeyes, they stand at an overall 31-6 record.
However, to get to the championship they defeated No. 15 SLU, No. 10 Georgia, No. 6 Colorado, No. 5 Louisville, and the No. 1 undefeated Gamecocks in the Final Four.
Iowa’s tournament run has been nothing short of impressive and they have easily earned this spot.
The Tigers aren’t the only ones making program history, the Hawkeyes have also never been to the national championship.
Lisa Bluder, who has been Iowa’s head coach since 2000, has finally led her team to the biggest stage and she could not be more deserving of it.
Not only are these two coaches experienced and hard-working women but so are their players.
In this National Championship, we have a match-up like no other. We have two of the biggest stars in women’s basketball going head-to-head for the title.
Angel Reese vs. Caitlyn Clark, it just does not get any better than this.
Angel Reese has been the difference maker for LSU all year but she has really shown us what she is capable of throughout this tournament.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore has averaged 22.6 points and 16.2 rebounds a game in March and she has become the first player to record 100 points, 70 rebounds, 10 blocks and 10 steals in one NCAA tournament.
Reese isn’t your typical forward, sure she can dominate in the post but she also has the quickness of a guard.
Reese is a fiery player and incredibly fun to watch. Win or lose, expect her to put on a show.
The funny thing is we can say the same exact thing about Caitlyn Cark.
The junior phenomenon has had one of the best tournament runs anyone has ever seen as she became the first D1 player to record a 40-point triple-double and followed with ANOTHER 40-point performance against arguably the best defense in the league, the Gamecocks.
Clark leads the Hawkeyes in points, rebounds and assists as she has averaged 32.2 points and 10.4 assists throughout the tournament.
Fans want to start calling her “STEPHanie Curry” the way she can sink threes and if that doesn’t tell you enough about her game then I’m not sure what will.
Although these two are superstars they both give tons of credit to their teammates who have made this journey for them possible.
Reese’s sidekicks include Alexis Morris, LaDazhia Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Kateri Poole.
These four ladies are not to be overlooked as they are also some of the best in college right now.
Alongside Caitlyn Clark, you can find Monika Czinano, McKenna Warnock, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin.
As for these four, they also deserve endless amounts of credit coming straight from Clark herself and they simply complete the team.
We are in for the ultimate showdown and a down-to-the-wire battle resulting in a brand new, first-time-ever champion.
Gia Sabatino is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gms6168@psu.edu
